Richard Hood took out first place in Pitts S1 ZK-MPM, flying in the Intermediate category.

Chris Schadler placed second in his RV 3 ZK-WCO2, flying in the Sportsman category.

Trish Stephens placed third in her RV 6A ZK-RVF, flying in the Recreational category.

The top three places were hotly contested with just 3.07% separating first from third.

I hope the organisers of the contest have better weather for the next contest, as this was the third time they had tried to conduct what started out as the 2015 competition. I guess there will be another contest later in 2016.

Thursday, 28 April 2016

Execujet's Gulfstream G VI ZK-KFB3 was parked at Auckland International yesterday. It is an impressive machine!

ZK-KFB3 (c/n 6043) was first registered to Execujet NZ Ltd on 4/10/13.

I looked back over the NZ Civair blog for earlier posts on ZK-KFB and I came up with plenty for ZK-KFB1 and ZK-KFB2 but none for ZK-KFB3 so I now claim a Terry Fletcher! For interest here are the previous two ZK-KFBs:

Gulfstream G IV ZK-KFB (c/n 1362) was first registered to Air National on 15/7/03 and was operated for Peter Jackson (he wasn't Sir at that time). It was cancelled on 19/5/10 and exported to become N662GA.

Gulfstream G V ZK-KFB2(c/n 5260) was first registered to Execujet on 26/3/10 and it in turn was cancelled on 5/3/13 and exported to become SE-RKL with SAAB in Sweden.

Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Four ex RNZAF Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters were delivered to Ardmore this afternoon on two trucks belonging to a Palmerston North based transport company so I assume they have come from Ohakea. They were unloaded outside the Hawker Pacific hanger. The helicopters involved are ex NZ3803 msn 5158 / NZ3807 msn 11706 / NZ3809 msn 11708 and NZ3816 msn 11702. As can be seen from the photo's all are minus rotor blades / skids and tail booms and are on transport cradles. All 4 had their serial numbers marked as per the photo above.

Here's the updated information for this coming Sunday's fly-in at Leo John's
airstrip at Mata.

Turn up sometime around or after 10am and the kettle will be boiling.

Helen has kindly offered to bake some
scones so the earlier you turn up the better chance you will have to benefit
from her baking skills.
BBQ lunch will be burgers and sossies with coleslaw and, of course, tomato
sauce.
Tea and coffee will available anytime from your arrival onwards, or until the
generator is either turned off or runs out of fuel.

If Leo can fly his Cherokee from there
I don't think anyone will have a problem.

If 06 is in use you can choose to
either fly over the hill or approach on the southern side of it to land and
stop closer to the parking overflow paddock entrance..

When making radio calls remember that the radio frequency used in the Whangarei
area is 118.6.
When advising your position, the airfield is located 5 1/2 NM to the south of
Whangarei.

Drivers:
The address is 1722 State Highway and is on a sweeping bend on the Western side
of the main highway with a useful pull-off area right there at the entrance.
Turn right just before the large shed and follow the farm road to the airfield.

First timers: Be aware of the nearby power lines and pylons, especially if
flying very low and concentrating too much on looking for the airstrip.

Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee Archer ZK-DQX (c/n 28-74-05129) was imported by and registered to Airwork (NZ) Ltd of Auckland on 27-08-1974 having arrived at Auckland as N9564N on the 14th.Its first flight under 'ZK' marks was on the 29th. It was transferred to the ownership of R N Walker of Christchurch on 05-11-1974 and then to Porter Doe Motors of Feilding on 05-10-1978. From 27-02-1990 it was listed privately to K M L Porter of Pauanui Beach until moving to it current owner - Leo Johns of Mata (near Whangarei) from 29-08-1994.The photo was taken recently at Dargaville by Jean210.

Monday, 25 April 2016

Paul Godfrey had his SkyStar Kitfox IV ZK-JFA (c/n C94080051/MAANZ/527) in the visitors line up.
It has been with Paul since 04-12-2015 having first been registered to Alex Taylor at Whiterig near Gore on 22-03-1995.

It was pleasing to see the ICP Savannah XL ZK-CVK2 (c/n 10-07-51-916) of the South Eyre Trust on site.

Above and below :- This Rans S6-ESA was listed on the UK Civil Register with the c/n PFA204-12533.

I imagine this will be amended in its NZ paperwork to its original Rans allocated c/n and not this UK Popular Flying Association (PFA) allocation.

It was registered as G-BVIN back on 25-10-1993 to Keith J Vincent, and after a further six owners it was cancelled from the UK register on 05-10-2015 and shipped to NZ.

It is currently undergoing its NZ certification at Rangitata Island and has hopes of becoming ZK-VIN.

Something slightly different from the usual run of amateur built aircraft is this Slepcev Storch U/L ZK-WAZ (c/n SS4UL 097) of Gavin Ladbrook from Timaru.

New Zealand's first Bellanca 17-30A Super Viking is nearing completion at Parakai/West Auckland Airport following an extensive rebuild by owner George Richards.

ZK-VIX is a 1979 example wearing the serial number 79-30944. The NZCAA type acceptance report, issued earlier this month, details the specifics of the Viking noting it is a four-seat, low-wing single-engined retractable light aircraft with tubular steel and fabric-covered fuselage and wooden wings.

This example started life as N28045 and has for the last 20 years languished at Van Nuys, CA following the second owner's attempt to repaint the aircraft which was to include fabric strip and re-cover. Circumstances outside the owners control precluded the job from being completed. The NZ owner found the aircraft while in the USA flying his Falco ZK-SMR to the EAA Airventure Oshkosh show in 2012.

I thought that this would be an appropriate post for Anzac Day, and I will post it at the time of dawn services across the country.

Some few years ago, Colin Hay of the Heritage and Sport Aviation Group of North Otago purchased the remains of a 7/8 scale Circa Reproductions Nieuport 11 replica that had originally been registered as ZK-NIE in March 1992. It was built by John Lowther of Timaru and was painted in the colours of the French WW 1 ace Charles Nungesser. It did fly at Timaru and was later sold to Neil Lopez of Auckland, on 11/2/97. It did also fly a couple of times at Pikes Point airfield however its registration was revoked on 2/8/99. It was next sighted when it was offered for sale at Turners Car Auctions in March 2007 and then it was displayed for a time in the showroom of A1 Rental Cars at Kerikeri. Finally it was advertised on Trade Me in March 2010.

Colin and the volunteers of the Heritage and Sport Aviation Group of North Otago have refurbished the aircraft and have painted it to represent B 1506 of 29 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps as flown in 1917 by Lt Archibald William Buchanan Miller, DFC.

Archibald Miller was the son of the Rev. Thomas Duncan Miller and Margaret Julia Miller of

Inveraven, Bridgen, Perth, Scotland, Archibald served with the 1st. Battalion, King’s Own

Scottish Borderers before joining the Royal Flying Corps. He was killed in action

on the 13th. July 1917 when his Nieuport 17 was shot down over Belgium by

Hans von Adam of Jasta 6. He was just 21 years of age. His elder brother had

been earlier killed at Gallipoli on April 25th. 1915, also aged 21.

They were the only children of the Rev. and Mrs Miller of Kirkurd, Perthshire.

The following story was told by another minister at the unveiling of the Kirkurd

War Memorial in 1919, and reported in the Peebleshire Advertiser. The annual

picnic for children of the parish was held at the Manse on July 13 and his mother

Margaret, read out a letter from Archibald in which he expressed his hope that

they would have plenty to eat and would enjoy themselves. Among the prizes he

sent for the children were miniature aeroplanes, which should be prized by those

who won them. He jocularly wrote that if he could get off duty he would fly to

Kirkurd and have some fun with the children, and so his father scanned the

clouds and peered as far as he could see, but no plane was visible.

A few hours later, flying within German lines and engaged in aerial combat he

was killed. Archibald William Buchanan Miller is buried at the Harlebeke

New British Cemetery, Harlebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Archibald Miller scored six victories in B1506, all of them against the Albatros DIII.

The rebuilt Nieuport is Colin's and his co-workers tribute to just one fallen airman.